TAME Motives
by HunterHero179
Summary: A what if Judy and Nick never made up after the arguement, and didn't figure out what made the mammals savage.
1. END OF WILD TIME

**CHAPTER 1- END OF WILD TIME**

There was about two things wrong with this situation.

One, there was no way the police could have snuck up on the amusement park owner, especially while inside said amusement park. Somebody in his group would have smelled a prey mammal before the prey could even come close to the entrance. Of course, unless the prey had masked their scent with a different scent, say, perfume. Very strong perfume that made his nose twitch and his eyes water. Even the smell of dirt couldn't make the smell go away, the perfume stained inside his poor nose.

Which brought up the second wrong thing to his mind.

He was face first on the ground, cuffs on his wrists, and a cop was looming over him. A bunny cop, nonetheless. He could hear Finnick's deep laugh from here. Quite embarrassing for a fox, who was suppose to eat little rabbits according to history and whatever Bellwether was telling the masses now about the 'bad and evil' predators in the city. Ah, well, the bunny cop won fair and square, so no use whining about it. At least not out loud.

The police were arresting anyone adult in the amusement park, whether or not they had those T.A.M.E collars on or not. For the kids, frightened and down right saddened to see their parents being dragged away, the officers attempted to calm them down. Not before getting the collars back on them, of course. Any predator of any age could attack any prey, so said Bellwether. He rolled his eyes at that. Yes, kits and pups and cubs would love to attack a prey mammal at any moment. Yeah, right.

"Make sure all of the collars are back on their correct owner. I don't want any mishaps like last time," the bunny cop said to her fellow officers. From the ground, he could see the blues nodded and salute the rabbit. She was the boss, then. Proper that she was the one that took him down, then.

He decided to take one last look at his amusement park, knowing that it'll be destroyed and forgotten before he got out. If he got out, he reminded himself. So, with green eyes that were pitiful and cynical after all of his years of being alive in this city, he looked around the amusement park he had so lovingly built.

The amusement park, called Wild Time, was inside of a warehouse, abandoned and disgusting outside. But inside, the walls were clean, the lights bright, the atmosphere happy. Booths dedicated to all predators' needs, were lined up, also clean and had flashing lights. At the front of the park was the reception desk. Some collars hung on the hooks jabbed inside the wall, the key to unlock them on the circular desk. The sign that said goodbye to the customers when they left was crooked, saying, 'Thanks for visiting! Come again and stay wild!', the words a bright green. He knew that behind him was a cart that sold insects and meat, not real meat, of course. He had to convince the seller that they wouldn't be caught just to get that cart in there. He kept his word, though. The insects and meat wouldn't be traced back to the seller in any way. Lucky guy.

His final viewing of Wild Time ended when the bunny cop yanked on his cuffed hands, and he stumbled to his feet. The bunny cop looked up at the captured criminal and said, "Nick Wilde, you have the right to-"

Nick tuned her out, only saying 'Yes' when she asked if he understood. He focused on his former customers instead as the bunny led him outside. The T.A.M.E were lighting up the night as the predator became scared and angry, either at him or at the police. On and on, he heard the harsh buzz as the collars shocked the distressed mammal. He saw some of them passed out, having activated the third shock in a row. Big mistake. Nick's collar didn't go off once during the whole police raid, and it didn't buzz as he watched the other mammals. Like a fox, he was good at controlling his emotions.

A cruiser was waiting for him. It was black, made for mammals that size of bunny cop to drive. On its sides it stated in white, 'ZPD'. The bunny cop opened the door for him, and he got in. There was a grate separating the criminal from the officer and he looked at this as he said, "This isn't how I thought we'd be meeting again, Carrots."

The bunny cop paused in closing the door. He could see her ears droop when he said that. She said nothing to him, which he took as a sign to continue.

"Hope you're proud of yourself. I mean, after that speech you made when we caught Lionheart was pretty convincing, wasn't it? Now no predator can accidently go savage, right?"

"Nick," the officer began.

"Judy," Nick replied, reached out to the door and closed it.

* * *

Her day felt almost like her first day on the job, where Chief Bogo assigned to parking duty because she was a bunny. Hopefully and excited in the beginning, which slowly turned into the complete opposite.

She was laying on her, surrounded by stuffed toy rabbits from her childhood years. The apartment she had back when she first stepped into Zootopia was no longer her home. Now, thanks to the mayor, she had her own burrow, a large place just for her, which made it much more lonely. She could hear her footsteps when she walked down her halls, but she couldn't hear the traffic anymore. No more loud arguments by her neighbors. Just herself and the quiet. That quietness made the day feel a little more worse.

Judy wasn't sure if she was actually happy about the raid earlier that day. Sure, she stopped mammals from getting hurt or potentially getting savage by whatever is going on. But, on the other hand, it didn't sit well with her, arresting mammals that only wanted a fun time without those bugly collars on their necks. And of Nick, that hustler fox.

Both surprised that Nick ran the place and that he didn't resist as she ordered everyone to the ground, that feeling in her gut grew more uncomfortable. Maybe the name should have tipped her off. Or the photos from the tram cams that showed a canine figure dressed in dark clothing coming in and out of the warehouse. Somehow she didn't notice. And what he had said to her. He knew how to get to her, even though they hadn't talked in what felt like years. The raid was all bad to her, no matter who much people said good job to her or said she was the best. Nothing felt right about. Nothing at all.

She sighed, getting out of her bed, and walked down the hall to the kitchen. Half of the burrow wasn't in use, wasted. Judy used the front of it, closest to the front 'door', really a hole to above the surface. The kitchen was the first thing next to the front 'door'. It was simple, like the rest of her home. The mayor tried to make the place more fancy and what not, but Judy refused. The minimalist style of the burrow reminded her of her family's farm back in Bunnyburrow.

The fridge was filled with what bunnies liked. Carrots, lettuce, radishes, blueberries. Judy got the blueberries, popping one in her mouth before sitting down at the table. There was one chair, as she lived alone. She glanced down at the blueberries, remembered that Nick seemed to like them. When they first met, he stole some from a fruit stand and ate them. Her stomach twisted as her train of thought led her once again to the raid, and she pushed the blueberries away from her. She might throw them back up.

Nick's trial was suppose to be in a few days. Her fellow officers guessed the trial would be quick, and either Foxy Boy would get life or be put down. She shuddered when they mentioned that option. Zootopia didn't have the put down punishment until recently, a result of the savage cases. A sad thing too, in Judy's opinion. One of the things that had her wishing for the old officers, most of which were predators and were fired when the mayor deemed them as a safety hazard for the job, was that the new one joked about Nick being put down. Another fox for the needle, they'd say. Deserved the forever, they'd say. Just a predator, nothing important, they'd say. They tried getting her to joke along, but she refused to. After awhile, they left her alone. The jokes were stuck in her head, though.

"Sweet cheese and crackers," she mumbled to herself. She picked up the blueberries, put them back in the fridge. As she closed the fridge door, her phone rang from her room. Her ears flicked to that direction, and she walked the short walk to it, and answered.

"Yes, sir?" She said.

"We have another savage, Hopps," Chief Bogo said in the gruff voice he had. "A leopard this time, Sahara Square. You're in charge of the case." He hung up before she could answer.

Judy once again said. On and off, savage mammals kept appearing in Zootopia, breeding more fear into the prey population. Judy could sympathize with them, but she was more worried than no one seemed to be trying to find a solution. Perhaps they were and she didn't know, yet to her it seemed like the mammals were more focused on catching the savage mammal and locking it away. Emmet Otterton was still savage, and that didn't sit with her well, much like the Wild Time raid.

"Alright," she said to herself. Her uniform was hanging in the closet and she quickly jumped into it. "Let's make the world a better place," she shouted as she jumped out of her burrow, heading off to Sahara Square with a firm decision on her mind.

That being that the savage cases needed to solved, once and for all.

 _ **Will I do more with this? I don't know, but enjoy this if I don't.**_


	2. SUITED FOR THIS PRISON LIFE

**CHAPTER 2: SUITED FOR THIS PRISON LIFE**

In all things considered, prison wasn't half bad. Sure, it wasn't roomy, and he did have to share a cell with a lion who took up half of the place, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Free food, good easy work, easy hustling targets. Plus, all prisoners wore shock collars, even the prey. Of course, these ones had a different purpose, but Nick liked the fairness there. Nobody was better, not even you.

His routine was simple. Wake up at six, roll call shortly after, breakfast at seven, which he gobbled up each time. Yeah, sometimes the food was soggy and gross, but he needed the protein and energy. Then, out to work in the workshop.

Many things happened in the workshop. There was metal work, where sparks of fire and heat raided from constantly. Next to it was the woodwork. Beavers liked to work there, usually their teeth to their fullest potential. Then came the sewing work, where Nick worked. After that, there was finally the automobile repair shop, a good place for the skilled. All of them worked and build, and once their work was done, it was sent out and sold. The prisoners got a small portion of the money back and it was put in their prison 'bank account', either to use in the prison or on the outside when their term was up. It sounded like a good deal to Nick.

After the workshop came some free time at eleven. It lasted for an hour before lunch was served. Back to workshop when lunch was over, then another free time period lasting also an hour, dinner at six, two hour free time in their cells. The day ended at eight when the lights went out for bedtime. Nick slept on the top bunk of the bunk bed, as to prevent getting crushed by his lion cellmate. Some nights, he'd stare at the gray ceiling, listening to the sleeping snores of the prisoners, the distant voices of the guards, and the nighttime sounds from outside the stone walls. It was peaceful. Nick liked it.

Over time, he became the top hustler in his part of the prison. Mammals saw his ability to be charming towards the guards and how slippery he could be when trouble did come his way, so they made him into the middle man between deals. For a price, of course. He'd sneak items of all sorts on his person, using the free time period to deliver the item to the mammal. Some of the items he had to deliver included catnip, a couple of dollars, a file meant for felines, and once, a deck of cards that hid nails inside of the box. Nick never questioned what he handed, he only asked that he never be mentioned if they got caught. So far, nobody had ratted him out. He was too valuable to get rid of, apparently.

He met some of Mr. Big's henchmen in prison, too. Polar bears in Tundratown were required to wear shock collars, like any other predators, but Mr. Big had tried making the collars on his men inactive and useless. The systems in the collars went off after the unauthorized turn off and, out of loyalty to their boss, the bears said they turned them off themselves, no help at all. He was friendly to the bears, he didn't have any hard feelings against them. In turn, the polar bears had no hard feelings to him either and were, in their own cold way, friendly back. Nick didn't see them much, but when he did, he'd give them a small wave.

His friend Finnick called him sometimes. The small fox's deep voice barked through the phone when he did, telling Nick about what the outside world was doing. The ZPD were still catching savages in the city, shipping them away to who knows where. Mayor Bellwether banned predators from serving in the fire departments, saying it was as risky as letting preds be police. Judy was still hopping around, which Finnick made a point to say during each call. "She's still the mayor's golden girl," Finnick said once in a call. "But she's still single. Aren't they suppose to making little bun buns by this age?"

Nick said probably, but Carrots was too stubborn for any buck in town. Finnick laughed and agreed.

Nick's trial was taking forever. Delays kept showing up, and his lawyer, a competent red squirrel named Mason Garnuts, said it would take forever longer for the trial to begin or to end. That was either because Nick had been careful about not incriminating himself through paper or word, or because the mayor wanted it to drag on. As much as Nick wanted to believe he could be as sly and slick as that, he had more faith in the second one.

One day, four months after he first entered the prison, he woke up to the ringing siren, yawned, and said, "Hey, Furball, how'd you sleep?"

His cellmate, Ed Liomper, rolled his eyes and rolled off his bed. "Dreamless, as always."

"Aw, that's too bad. I had the greatest dream, where I had the prettiest vixen all to myself."

Ed rolled his eyes again, and snorted.

"Roll call! Everybody, at the doors!" A guard shouted from the far end of the hall. The sounds of feet shuffling and muttering voices reached Nick's ears as he and Ed obeyed the far away guard's orders.

The iron barred doors slid open one by one as a gerenuk in a green guard uniform checked each cell for two inmates. When he reached Nick's, he said to the fox in an offhand manner, "Head to the Box after breakfast. ZPD wants you."

The gerenuk walked on, unaware he'd just dropped a bomb on the unsuspecting red fox.

All throughout breakfast, which was oatmeal and two apples, the word spread around that Nick was heading to the Box after breakfast. Mammals came to ask him why, but he had no answer. He sat there, staring at his getting colder food, searching through his mind for a reason. Maybe someone did tattle on him at last. Maybe a guard was more observant than usual one day. Maybe it was just his lawyer Mason coming to talk about the upcoming trial again, but Mason usually came during the two hour free time period. Over and over, Nick fretted, keeping a calm and sly demeanor on as he did so. He took those options he could think of and planned on a script to follow when he stepped into the Box.

But when he entered the Box and saw a familiar gray, purple eyed bunny smiling at him across the metal table, he only said six words.

"You got to be kidding me."

 **Decided to keep going on this. Just to see what it come up as I write it.**


	3. MENTAL BATTLES

**CHAPTER 3: MENTAL BATTLES**

Predator and prey faced each other, both glaring intensely at the other. The predator had cuff around his wrists, connected to the metal table that sat between him and the prey before him. He wore a orange jumpsuit, black numbers on his left breast. A collar was wrapped around his neck, blinking green at the tumor like box on the side. His glare was full with hate, disgust, and, most of all, disappointment at the creature he saw with his own green eyes.

The prey had no cuffs on her, no collar either. She wore her black and blue ZPD uniform, the golden badge gleaning in the bright ceiling lights. Her violent eyes were glaring at the pred because it was instinct when faced with a convict. Plus, she already sensed that he wasn't going to be as willing to help as he was before. Not after that speech, that's for sure.

They both sat in the Box, a nickname for the interrogation rooms in the prison. The rooms all looked the same. Gray, with a single window that those inside the Box couldn't see out of, but the mammals outside could see in. A metal table, completed with two metal chairs, were in the middle of the room, the only things in there besides a lone trashcan in the corner. A row of fluorescent lights beamed down from the ceiling, bright and blinding if you looked at them straight on. The room was always kept cold, no matter what. It was designed to make anyone inside uncomfortable and nervous, as so it was easy to get them to spill their guts out when the interrogator entered the room.

Both Nick and Judy were neither uncomfortable or nervous, just determined to break the mammal in front of them with ease.

Nick broke the silence that had surrounded them for thirty minutes by saying, "My, oh my, the little bunny hasn't run all the way back to Bunnyburrow yet? What a shock!"

Judy rolled her eyes, ignoring the taunt as she said, "I need your help, Nick."

Nick mock-gasped, raising a paw to his muzzle. The cuffs and chain rattled. "The famous Judy Hopps needs my help? Must be a tough case you're working on, Carrots!"

"Cut that out, I really do ne-"

He went on, taking some enjoyment out of annoying the hoppity rabbit. "Is it too tough for the bunny to solve? I wonder what it meant? Oh, I do wonder what she needs from the bad foxy woxy?" He leaned as far back as he could, kicking his feet up the table

"Nick-"

"Could it about someone I know? I do know everybody. Or, maybe she needs my nose to sniff out a terrible villain from the shadows!"

Judy's foot started to thump from underneath the table. Nick hid a grin. He was getting to her.

"Or, maybe, just maybe, it's about that savage case! Yes! Maybe the poor rabbit has no one else to turn to because nobody else cares, _especially_ since they believe predators are destined to go savage, which is what she said, right? Wow, wow, wow, who would of-"

She threw out some photos on the table and Nick finally stopped talking and put his feet down, much to her relief. He stared at the pictures, his face unreadable. Then, blinking, he looked at her. She took a deep breath. Time to repair the bridge after it burned down, she thought.

"That was two weeks ago. A fox family of four were taking a stroll down Rainforest District, when Percy Fowler, a cougar, had gone savage all of a sudden. This," she gestured to the photos, "was the result."

Nick looked at the pictures, then at her. Then back at the photos. His stomach was upset, ready to throw back up that oatmeal and apples he had earlier. He forced it back down. The collar on his neck, that was normally green all the time, was yellow. He folded his hands together and placed his head into his hands, took a deep breath. The collar turned back to green.

"Why'd you show me that, Fluff?" He asked, still faced down in his hands. The faces and bodies floated in the blackness as he closed his eyes. All he could see was red.

"As I said before, I need your help," Judy said. She didn't look at the photos, they broke her heart. She sighed and gathered up the pictures, putting them away into the folder she had on the side.

"Why me? After all, I am nothing a fox convict. A pred." He glared at her through his fingers, his eyes unwavering.

Judy looked at those glaring eyes, guilt filling her chest, making it hard to breath. "You're the only one who'll listen to me."

"Why's that, Carrots? Golden Girl not important enough to listen to?"

"Nick, you're the only one who hates me so much to actually help me."

After a moment or two, Nick raised his head out of his hands. His face, as always, was unreadable. Almost. His ears were bent back, and he seemed to be trying to keep his lips down, so he didn't bare his teeth.

The two didn't say anything for a few minutes. They stared at each other as the minutes crawled away, the lights flickering above them, their fur chilled from the cold room. The only sounds were their breathing, anxious and rough, and Judy's thumping foot. Outside of the Box, watching from the one way window, the prison guards were getting worried for the rabbit inside. She was a tough gal, no doubt, but a fox was in there with her, a criminal fox. One with sharp teeth and claws. They waited though, but had their hands on their tasers and stood closer to the door, just in case.

Finally, as before, Nick broke the silence. "I'll think about it."

"Nick-"

"I said I'll think about it. Goodbye, Officer Toot Toot. Have a nice life." Nick waved at the window, signaling to the guards to take him away.

As a rhino and deer entered the room, Judy said to Nick, "I'll come back in three days. Please, really do think about it. I just want to help." She scooped up her file and headed to the door.

As she stepped across the threshold, she heard Nick mutter under his breath, low enough so she could hear alone.

"You said that when you made that speech, Hopps."

* * *

Since the leopard four months ago, there had been a wolf, tiger, raccoon, red panda, and, most recently, that cougar she told Nick about. More predators going savage, more savages being caught and sent away, and more laws against predators. Judy had seen all of the predators, seen pictures of them before they went savage, and each time, her heart got heavier and heavier. The case files stayed with her at home. She looked over them often.

Now, after coming back from the prison, she looked at them again, starting with the most recent. The face of Percy Fowler greeted her as she opened the folder. He had a big grin and brilliant eyes. It was at his bachelor party, two days before he went savage. She looked at the next picture, taken right after he was captured. His eyes were empty and didn't have an intelligent thing in them. His snarling face was almost similar to his smile. She shuddered. She didn't look at the fox family, those already gave her nightmares.

Next came Gobban Redgar, the red panda. He was in Downtown when he went savage. His family was in for town and he was going to Downtown to visit. The next time his family saw him was on t.v, with a muzzle on his face, growling and snapping at anyone who got too close. His before picture, when he was at the beach last year, was brightly lit. He was waving at the photo taker, smirking. He wore blue swim trunks. Gobban had attacked a deer before the police came speeding to them. In the picture she was looking at, he looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly.

The raccoon, named Arnold Procyon, attacked a couple in Tundartown, with wide, crazy eyes, and a drooling snarl. The picture she had in her hand showed her a raccoon, shaking hands with his professor, his degree between them, grinning with half lidded eyes. His mouth, of course, was not drooling.

Donald Pauswer and Samson Tiggerson, wolf and tiger in that order, were friends going to a party when they fell victims to whatever was making predator go savage. The mammal who called it in said they started attacking each other mercilessly, and that the police should hurry. When they got there, both of the savage mammals were bloody and panting, worn out. It was easy to get them into the kennels, they had no more fight left in them. The picture she had was taken on their summer vacation two summers ago. Donald was raising a wheat beer up above his head and howling, Samson drinking his with a grin. Judy wondered if they died later after that savage fight.

She put all of the pictures into their folders, stocked the folders away into a drawer in her office, smacked her head onto her desk with a groan, and stayed in that position for awhile. Her mind kept going back on Nick saying, "I'll think about it". If she were to be honest with herself, she had doubts Nick would help her. She wouldn't admit it out long, but she did. Nick hated her, through and though, and even if he did care about predators' freedoms, as indicated by his illegal theme park, she thought he'd refuse to help out of spite. Maybe she was reading Nick wrong, maybe he will help her. But, as always, she had doubts.

Foxes can do that to you.

* * *

Nick stared up at the gray ceiling. It was light out, bed time. Ed was snoring beneath him. He could hear the snores of the other prisoners, the guards talking in low voices, the outside sounds, things he thought were peaceful.

At the moment, they didn't seem that way, for sure.

Judy had rattled his brain. In all of his time inside the prison, he didn't spare more than a single thought on what was going on outside. He was busy in here, hustling and working, being the top mammal. But now, he couldn't stop thinking about that fox family and that savage cougar.

He tried to sleep, but he kept getting nightmares. Nightmares about being mauled by Percy, or watching Percy maul someone else, someone he couldn't see, someone he couldn't help. By the fourth one, he decided to stay up for the rest of the night and mow through the day despite the future fatigue he was going to feel. He could handle that much better.

Mammals had asked him what went down in the Box. He had told them that it was his lawyer. No one saw through his lie. Throughout his day, he was on autopilot, going on with his routine as he fought himself in his mind. He hustled mammals, he went to work in the sewing section, he ate his lunch and dinner, unaware of what was happening outside of himself. Nobody said a thing, so he guessed he acted normal enough to keep off any worries. Good. He didn't need it.

Should he help Judy? That question kept coming into his mind. Yes, he wanted to help predators. Yes, he wanted to prove that predators weren't doomed to go savage. Yes, he felt like it was his responsibility since he found the first savages and exposed it to the public. But, wasn't it also Judy's responsibility? She was there too. Judy was the one who said there was something biological in predators that made them go crazy. It was, in all ways he could thought of, her fault. But should he take some of the blame? He didn't try to prove her wrong when he was a free mammal. He didn't go on t.v and say that predators were safe and that it was something that caused this epidemic. What he did was make an illegal amusement park for predators and got caught. But, should she go on t.v and say she was wrong, not him?

On and on and on and on.

He sighed and turned to face the wall. Curling up around his pillow, he decided it was a worth a shot to go back to sleep. The nightmares can't keep coming back.

He was wrong.


	4. FINAL ANSWER

**CHAPTER 4: FINAL ANSWER**

He had three days to decide. Three days of worrying. Three days of running every option in his head over and over, only to end up back where he started. Three nights of trying to sleep and not being able to. It was, in his mind, three days of internal dread.

His lawyer visited the day after Judy came by. Normally, he thought of the Box as another room with a cool name. Now, though, he couldn't help but think about Percy and the fox family as Mason talked.

"They finally gave us a date, so I suppose your trial is in full swing now, Mr. Wilde," the squirrel said in his professional voice. It reminded Nick of Finnick by its deepness that such a small animal shouldn't have.

"Oh, really? Mayor Smellwether is letting the trial go now from here on out?" Nick smirked. The nickname for the current mayor wasn't as creative and original as he'd like it, but it would do.

Mason didn't comment on the jab at the mayor. "Yes. We aren't certain what the prosecuting side is planning, but we have to assume, since there is no proof of wrong doing on your part, it will be empty and only made up of accusations."

"They don't have anything on me? At all?" Nick knew he went through all of the right channels to prevent something like this from happening, but he still expected them to find something to stick to him. He must be better at hustling than he thought.

"You have the legal license for removing collars, you paid for the warehouse legally, all of your attractions were safe and not harmful, and you didn't endorse any illegal activities in your park. That raid was based on rumors, not facts. Perhaps those officers should be questioned about the validation of a rumor based raid."

Mason looked and sounded angry as he spoke. In his visits with him, Nick guessed the lawyer didn't agree with the collar policy at all. It was, after all, unfair in his opinion. Nick thought Mason was a good mammal because of it.

"When's my due date, Red Head?"

The squirrel rolled his eyes. "November the fifth of this year. It will be a jury trial, so try your best to not make jokes throughout it."

"No promises," Nick said, and gave him a wink.

Nick felt good about his upcoming trial in a month or so. No evidence against him, no real way to charge him with anything, and he had done it. Sure, the jury would most likely be made up of prey mammals and he would need to prove himself to them, but he was confident he'd be able to. He could be charming and likable if he wanted to.

But, he still had Judy to think of.

He decided on one thing for sure. What Judy had done, and also hadn't done, was unforgivable to him. No amount of apologizing and doing good deeds would change his mind on that. Until Judy either admit she was wrong and said to for the public to hear, or resigned from her job, he didn't think she was that guilty about it. Maybe she was a little, deep down in her rabbit heart, but her still continuing to be a police officer after a blunder like that told him she didn't think she was all that wrong. She wanted to solve the savage cases, yes, but considering she needed his help, a con fox in jail that couldn't tell her where to start, he thought she wasn't doing all that great. Maybe he'd ask her why she wanted him to help, but that was unimportant to him then.

Right now, he had to decide if he even wanted to help in the first place. It was a big weight on his shoulders, one he didn't want to have. He blamed Judy, if he was being honest. He wouldn't have anything to worry about besides his trial, but here came the chipper, naive bunny to throw him into a loop. Oh well, he just added it to the list of Officer Toot Toot's mistakes, and went on thinking.

On the end of the second day, he said to his cellmate before bed time, "Furball, can I ask you a question?"

"If you don't call me 'Furball' for five minutes," the lion grumbled. Nick knew the lion liked to read before bed, and did not like being interrupted while he was reading.

"Deal. It's one easy question, nothing big for your poor brain."

"Get on with it, please. I'm enjoying my book here."

Nick nodded. "Right, right, so sorry. Anyways, if you were faced with a difficult decision, what would you do?"

Ed had been inside the prison long enough to know not to ask why. "Well, Nick," the lion said as he flipped a page in his book, "I would do whatever feels right."

That night, Nick looked at the ceiling, the familiar sounds once again calming to him, and simmered on what Ed had said. What felt right to him? He pondered that question in his head as the hour became witching and the guards quieted down. Outside, Nick thought he heard a crow caw. Then, with a firmness Nick had never known, he made up his mind and went to bed.

When his last day came and the future visit only hours away, Nick was calm and collected. He ate his breakfast in a brisk pace, savoring the taste of wheat cereal, a banana, and water in a tin cup. At the workshop, he did his sewing with joy and had small talk with his fellow tailors. He went into the yard during free time, chatting with everyone he came across. It was still him, old Slick Nick with his smug smile and half lidded eyes, but he was more talkative, more humorous. Nick Wilde was in a good mood.

He was called into the Box after lunch. He waved his fellow inmates goodbye, telling him, "It's probably just my lawyer. My trial is about to come up soon."

"Good for you," someone had mumbled. Nick grinned and sauntered out.

He entered the Box once again with Judy, this time without a glaring contest. Both he and Judy were in good spirits, apparently. Judy smiled at him, her ears up and straight. Nick relaxed in his seat, a near leer on his snout. She didn't seem to notice.

"How are you, Nick?"

"I'm doing just fine, Carrots. Just ate the most wonderful lunch of cold fish and a hard boiled egg. What a good life I'm living."

Judy's smile faltered for a second, then reappeared, good as new. "Well, you know why I'm here. So," Judy said, and she reached out her paw to him across the table, "are you ready to help me?"

Nick first looked at the gray, fuzzy paw before him. Studied it. Then, he looked her straight on in the eyes. The purple irises shone brightly with hope. Her nose was twitching. He smiled at her and said a single word.

"No."

 _ **I like twists and such. Do you? Also, sorry for the shortness of this one. There wasn't much to say, to be honest. Enjoy.**_


	5. TERMS AND WORDS

**CHAPTER 5: TERMS AND WORDS**

Judy never felt such disappointment before. Not for Nick, no, she knew where he was coming from. It was more for herself. She thought for sure Nick would help her, whether it be because he wanted to prove her wrong or to get back at he. She didn't have anywhere else to look or anyone else to go to. Nick was her one last shot, he knew enough of the case to help, but he said no. Just a simple no.

For a moment, she wondered if she wasn't cut out for the job. It wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last. She was sure of herself most of the time, but now and then, she doubted her choices and what she was doing. It was always a sudden change of mind and it went back to normal just as fast. Now, it lingered a bit too long to be normal.

Nick sat there, a smirk on his face, watching the little rabbit sit there with despair in her eyes. He wasn't a cruel fox and he did feel bad for her and the situation she was in. But, he considered it a good taste of what he felt during that speech. A taste of her own medicine, perhaps. He wasn't done, though.

"No," he said, leaning forward on the table, elbows on it, "not until you agree with my terms."

Her nose stopped twitching. She snapped her head up, as did her ears, her eyes narrowed. "Terms?" she repeated.

"Yep."

A few seconds of silence skipped by. They looked at each other. Nick, the con mammal, knew he had his target in his grasp, just needed to seal the deal. Judy, the bunny cop, knew she was being conned, tricked, but couldn't go anything about it because she wanted his help. Green and purple clashed together. Then, Judy said, "What are the terms?"

"Well, they're easy terms. Nothing someone like you can't handle, Carrots." Nick leaned back as far he could before the cuffs pulled his shoulders out. "All I want is three things from you. Nothing more, nothing less."

Judy gestured that he get on with it. He did.

"One." He held a finger. "Wait 'til my trial is done, then maybe I will. Two." He held up a second finger. "Get me something to work with before you bring me into a goose chase. And finally, the most importantly of them all-"

He leaned towards her again, popping a third finger up next to the other two. In a low voice, he said, "You go on t.v and admit you were wrong in that speech when this is all done and gone." He grinned as she raised her brows and frowned. "So, you agree, cottontail? Or do I have to say bye to my least favorite cop for the last time? I'd be oh, so sad to, you know."

Judy opened her mouth, closed it. Admit she was wrong? She didn't have a problem with knowing when she wasn't right and saying so, but in this case? She didn't know if she was wrong, actually. Yes, she had doubts about preds being doomed to go savage, but they were predators. They used to eat prey or other predators with no mercy. Maybe whatever was happening was activating some ancient gene deep inside them. But, how she phrased it and how she said it without any proof was wrong.

So, she said to him with a sigh, "Fine. When's your trial?"

"You're ZPD and Judy Hopps, the overachiever, don't you know court dates coming up by heart?" Nick said, looking at the claws on the end of his fingers. They were getting long and he would need to cut them soon. "But, it's November fifth, if you do need to know so badly."

She had a month to come up with a lead to complete his terms. Somehow, someway, she needed to get some evidence the ZPD couldn't get in six. Judy was positive she could.

"It's a deal, slick Nick," she said.

"Good." He stuck his paw out to her. She took it and shook the paw, making the deal valid between the two dealers. Nick waved her goodbye and called for the guards to take him away. "Have fun and good luck, Carrots," he called over his shoulder, wagging his fluffy tail as he was escorted away.

She needed all the good luck she could get.

* * *

There was an attack in the downtown area.

It was a hate crime, simple as that. The marten hadn't anything, but had went to a store to buy an anniversary present for his wife. A nice coat for the winter, colored green, her favorite color. He paid in cash, the coat in a plastic bag he carried in his right paw. Harry Martienzi walked out of Hayseed Penney and was hit in the face with a glass bottle.

Witnesses said a car, meant for small mammals like sheep or pigs, had passed by as Harry walked out of the store. Some said it was brown, others said it was black. Either way, a sheep had stuck its fluffy, white head with a beer bottle in its hooves. In all witness accounts, the sheep had said, "Go to hell, meat eater!", before throwing the bottle.

The surprise and pain of the bottle had activated the shock collar Harry had on. He shook as it shocked him, blood running down his face from the cuts. He started having a seizure. Mammals thought he was going savage from the foam forming around his mouth, his wide eyes, and what sounded like a growl coming from him. They called the ZPD, but didn't get too close to him. Harry died two minutes after they had arrived.

Judy looked at the covered body with sadden eyes. She was on crowd control, as mammals gathered around to watch the body get loaded into the ambulance that would drive through the streets with its sirens off. There was red on the gray sidewalk. The sheep who threw the bottle was still being looked for.

"Good riddance."

"What?" She looked up. A zebra looked down.

"I said good riddance," the zebra said. His lips were curled into dislike as he saw the stretcher be rolled inside the ambulance.

Judy glared at him, saying, "Excuse me, sir, but have some respect for the dead."

"Why? Nothing but a pred."

"Who had a family. Who died for existing. Back up, sir." Judy waved her arms in front of her, still glaring at him.

"Geez," he said, turning around, "I thought out of everyone, you'd agree with me." The zebra walked away, leaving a startled and disgusted rabbit behind.

She needed to solve the savage case now, before it got worse. Worse than it already was. Who knows how many mammals thought the same thing as that because of her. Because of that stupid speech. Zootopia was a place where anyone could be anything, and she was ruining it because of a few misspoken words.

For a second time that day, she wondered if she really was cut out for the job.

 **Edit- Thank you to the guest who pointed out I spelt "riddance" wrong.**


	6. UNCHANGING SOCIETY

**CHAPTER 6: UNCHANGING SOCIETY**

Nick was starting to get tired of the Box.

It most likely had something to do with Judy, the bunny cop, and their conversations together, but he also thought his upcoming trial had brought forth the feeling of dread in his stomach whenever he stepped inside the Box. He decided to ignore the dreadful feeling, however, and sat in the Box again, this time his lawyer Mason in front of him. They were discussing his trial, and making a plan of attack for it.

"You never know how a jury will think or act in court," Mason said. His hands were folded together in front of him as he spoke, his briefcase besides him on the table. Nick wondered what was inside. "They might have pity for a murderer, but no mercy for a robber. Depends on what kind of mammal they are, really."

"What kind of mammals do you think I'll get, Red Head?" Nick asked as he picked at some speck of food in his teeth. Mason didn't flinch at the sight.

"As far as I know, Mayor Bellwether-"

"Smellwether," Nick interrupted. He grinned as Mason sighed and shook his head.

"-will not be able to interfere with your trial. The judge will be Fargo Bullion, and the jury will be randomly selected."

"Bullion? Like that one music artist who made Jungle?" Nick raised an eyebrow, then lowered it.

"No. They're not related in any way."

Nick hummed and nodded. He flicked away the food speck with his claw. "You worried about this, Red Head?"

"Are you, Mr. Wilde?" Mason also raised a brow and lowered it, mirroring what Nick did seconds before.

Nick smirked at him. "Do I look worried?"

In that way only lawyers and psychics had, Mason said, "Yes."

The fox rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair. As always, his cuffs clanked from the movement. While he was comfortable around Mason and enjoyed his company, Nick wasn't one to admit to being nervous or scared. He could play it off well if he thought he could. Maybe not if he was faced with Mr. Big, like that one time with Judy, but he could otherwise. Right now, he scoffed, waving Mason off. "I'm not worried. I got a pretty smart lawyer on my side. Even if he is a little squirrel."

"Don't be speciest, Mr. Wilde." Mason couldn't hide that small smile on his snout, though. Nick smiled back.

"What's the plan, Red Head? Destroy the enemy with truth and facts?" Nick asked, now resting his head on one hand, which sat on the metal table.

"Exactly. Again, as I've said before, the prosecution has no evidence of wrong doing on your part. We play the cards right in our hands, the jury will see through whatever accusations the prosecution throws at you."

"But what if they don't?" Nick said, a bitter tone seeping through his voice. His hand, the one not underneath his head, clenched and released. He hid it underneath the table, so his lawyer couldn't see it do so.

Mason shrugged, an almost comical sight from his small size. "We must look on the bright side, yet we also must be prepared for the worse. If the jury is foolish enough to fall for the prosecution's arguments, you'll get life in prison in the worst case scenario. No death penalty. The charges against you aren't that serious, as much as the media would like to present it to be."

Nick nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

Yet, when the night came around as it always did, and he once again looked up at the gray ceiling above him, he wondered if that was true. Would the jury really trust that a fox like him did everything by the book? That he didn't mean any harm at all? Would they really believe his words when his kind were shown to be well versed liars?

By nature and nurture, Nick was a negative minded person. Cynical, resentful, mordant, whatever words you could thought of in that manner. When it came to society, he thought of it as a unchanging thing that never trusted a group once it was told not to. The mammals in society would rather believe what was fed to them than find it out for themselves. Long ago, they were told that foxes were undependable, liars, and cheats. They were told stories and a few experienced an account themselves. Since then, they've still chosen to believe the stereotype, and some foxes, like himself, became it. Nick didn't think there was anything wrong with being the very stereotype of his species. He was only following what others expected him to be. Was there something wrong with meeting everyone's expectations?

Mammals like Mason wanted to have faith that society could change its face for the better. That it could be unbiased for once. But Nick didn't think so. He thought the jury, no matter who was on it, would consider him guilty just on the fact he was a fox. He held some hope, yes. Just not a lot.

Life was a jungle, always had been. Mammals may have civilized themselves and have lived in peace for centuries, but the fact remained. It didn't matter how long ago it was since predators hunted prey. It didn't matter predators ate bugs and fake meat instead, and most shuddered at the thought of eating a prey. Preds used to eat prey and that's what society chose to remember. Zootopia, where anyone could be anything, was a lie.

Nick huffed, turned to his side, and went to sleep. In the morning, his thought throughout the day would be about his trial and his thoughts on society. He'd think about these things until he met up with Mason again to talk his trial more. Then, after, he'd think about it again.

He never thought about Judy at all. It appeared he had forgotten all about their deal. That was fine by him. He had better things to worry about than some meter maid trying to prove a point. Dubious he was that the bunny cop would find anything to make him help her. Nick was sure about that. Time was ticking away for her, anyhow.

If he was lucky, she'd leave him alone. Once and for all.

* * *

 **After a month of not being here, here I am. Sorry if I kept you waiting. I was taking a break. I might actually just update every month, even though the chapters are pretty short, depending on my free time. Easy for me to get all of my thoughts together, if you get me.**

 **The music artist Nick was referencing is Jon Bellion. His song Jungle is real, by the way.**

 **Enjoy.**


	7. TRIAL OF NICK WILDE

**CHAPTER 7: TRIAL OF NICK WILDE**

As the days inched closer to his trial date, Nick's mind ran with worry. Although Mason reassured him that the prosecution had no case, had no evidence, he still wondered. He'd heard of mammals being charged without evidence, then sentenced and jail, still without evidence. Of course, they eventually were freed and apologized to, but with the current state of Zootopia, he doubted he'd be free and have an apology for his non existent crime.

He sat at the desk, sweat stained the collar of his suit jacket. A courtesy, as the judge decided Nick being in a prison jumpsuit wasn't professional. He rapped his knuckles on the desk, earned himself a look from Mason. The big day had arrived, oh so soon, oh so early for his taste. Nick scanned the jury, unsurprised that most were prey mammals. Normal prey civilians that were there to decide his fate. They glared at him, burning and accused him of every sin on Earth. He looked away.

The judge up on his chair, high above his court, banged his mallet, a loud clack echoed in the high ceilinged room. Conversation stopped. All became silent. The trial began.

First, the prosecution lawyer stood, straightened his green and blue striped tie, walked up to the jury in a confident stride. Earlier that day, Mason had told Nick the lawyer's name was Nico Jagcar, a hare from a town father away by Bunnyburrow. Jagcar bowed before the judge, faced the jury. He began his opening statement.

"Since the beginning of time, predators have hunted prey for survival. It comes to no one's surprise that predators could have savage tendencies. Mr. Wilde here, has been charged with reckless endangerment, illegal running of an amusement park, and of removing the important shock collars from predators. To this day, he has shown no remorse for his actions, despite knowing the risks of predators becoming savages and attacking the innocent. In fact, it is reasonable to say that Nick wanted that exact situation to happen, in order to cause chaos and havoc on Zootopia."

Jarcar went on and on. Soon, his words meant nothing to Nick's ears, graded from the barrage of accusations towards him. He wanted to put his head on his paws, but he stayed upright. Mason had told him looking bored would make him seem uncaring to the jury.

The prosecution lawyer ended his opening speech, sat back down in his seat. The jury whispered among themselves, watched Mason wait for a special little table for him to walk on and look the jury face on, then quieted down when he gestured them to.

"Ladies and gentlemammals, I thank you all for being here today. As all of you must know, a rash of savage predators have happened throughout our dear city, from an unknown, curious cause. This has put our dear city into a great deal of stress, fear, and paranoia. For everyone's supposed safety, shock collars have been placed on predators to prevent savage episodes. Yet, savage episodes still occur to this day. Nick Wilde, in response to complaints he had towards the collars, decided to open an amusement park for predators, no collars needed. He has been arrested for doing so, although he has the paperwork to do so, had precautions for his customers safety, and had the right to remove collars. It is my hope that you, willing jurors, that you find Nick Wilde innocent and let him free."

Mason returned to his seat, the special table pushed off to the side for later use. Nick shot him a thankful smirk, which Mason shot back a small nod. Once again, the jury started to whisper. Over on the prosecution side, the hare's ears twitched at the noise, moved to follow each word said. Nick wish he could listen in also, and not be in the dark with the people's thoughts on himself.

The prosecution went first, a custom. Jagcar presented Nick as an uncaring mammal, who purposely wants to cause destruction in any way he could. He was also a fox, meaning he was already a born liar and manipulator, so he could have convinced predators to attack if the ZPD hadn't stepped in. As Mason had told Nick before, no proof was presented to support the claims. Not that it bothered the jury much. They sat on the edges of their seats, breath held while Jagcar spun a tale for them, one of a cruel, careless fox before them. Nick didn't think he could con a crowd as well as Jagcar just did. Some of the jury casted him black looks, cooked him alive in his seat with only their eyes.

Jagcar called up three witnesses in order to support his case. Two of them were officers Nick had never seen before, a desert bighorn and an elk. Both described the Wild Time raid, both portrayed Nick as resistant during the arrest.

"He tried to run, I think," the bighorn said, leaned himself forwards towards Jagcar. "Turned around and ran, right when he saw us. So did a bunch of other mammals, but he sure was the fastest."

"Officer Hopps had to chase him down," said the elk. "Chase him down and tackle him before he could scamper away. I'm surprised he didn't go savage on her then. He looked angry enough to."

Nick listened, his face remained blank while his mind raged. The years of being a con mammal had taught him how to hide his emotions quite well. The only way to see his true anger was by how his fist, sitting on the table, tightened and squeezed the more the officers talked. His face remained blank, but his hand never loosened.

The final witness was no shock. Officer Hopps sat there, or stood perhaps, up above him, the key witness for Nico Jagcar. She gave him a pitiful look, yet he stared dead eyed at her. He didn't react, just twisted his fist more.

She gave a detailed account of her arrest, the raid, and of Nick. He barely paid attention, too frustrated to bother. "I didn't know Nick was behind it. After all, I would never expect a con mammal to run an amusement park. Former con mammal, sorry." That was the one thing he heard, nothing more.

Jagcar seemed satisfied with his witnesses' answers, even though they all told their version of the raid, no more, no less, with their opinions on Nick along with it. He smirked when he sat down, glanced at Nick as he did. Arrogant as well, Nick saw.

But, once Mason began his cross examination, that smirk and arrogant air dissipated. Mason was an excellent lawyer. Nick watched as Mason picked apart the bighorn and elk's stories, revealing that neither of them actually saw Nick during the whole raid.

"Well, I said I think he ran. There was a lot of mammals running, he had to be also running!" The bighorn stumbled out his words, in a failed attempt to save his bunder.

"So you are admitting that at no point, not before, during, or after the raid, did you see Mr. Wilde?" Mason said again, quiet in his speech.

"I-" The bighorn sighed. "Yes. I didn't see him."

"Thank you. That'll be all."

The elk was more stubborn on saying he was wrong. "I did see him during the raid. Hopps was pinning him in the dirt."

"But you didn't see him running? At any point?"

"No, but-"

"Did you see Officer Hopps running after Mr. Wilde at any point?"

"I saw her running at one point, so I assumed she was after Wilde."

"But you didn't see her after him, yes?"

"Yeah, but-"

"That'll be all, thank you."

Nick turned in when it was Judy's turn. He scooted closer to hear better. She sat up there again, still shot him that pity look. He ignored it.

"Officer Hopps, during the raid, you claim that once Nick saw you, he started to turn away, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you tackled him in order to prevent him from running, yes?"

"Yes."

"At no point did he run away from you, is that correct?"

She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. "Yes, but I thought he was."

"But he didn't run from you? He just turned away?"

"Yes, but he appeared to want to run-"

"He appeared he wanted to run?"

"Yes-"

"But he didn't run?"

"No-"

"So, you tackled him on a guess, without any prompting?"

She froze up there for a moment. Her nose twitched, wild and frenzied. The room froze with her. Then, "Yes. I tackled him on a reasonable guess."

"Thank you, Officer Hopps. That'll be all."

Nick broke his mask to grin.

By the end of the cross examination, Jagcar had sunken into his seat, and the jury whispered again. They didn't send him death glares, just whispered. The judge banged his mallet and they quieted down.

Mason's case told the jury about Nick's true self, the one underneath the con mammal. He presented the ownership paper, the inspection sheet, and the license Nick owned to take off collars. None were forged, fake, or copied. These were his evidence. Then, he called up his witnesses, two customers of Wild Time, and Nick himself.

"Were you ever worried about your life, or others' lives, being in danger while at Wild Time?"

The cheetah laughed. "No. Nick was really careful about how his place was ran. If anyone got aggressive, he clicked that collar back on and booted him out. No questions asked."

"He watched over the place. He was always there. Once someone's collar got lost and they were freaking out about it. Scared over being arrested, of course. Nick stayed behind after everyone left, to search for it with the fellow. They found it. Nick made sure everyone didn't walk away without a collar on. He said he didn't want anyone in jail, he just wanted them to be able to relax for a bit."

Nick told the court that he wanted predators to have a place where they could go, without collars, without the stress of the outside world. He forgoed doing it illegally, wanted to keep a honest front for the place. He knew what he was doing, he didn't run into it blindly or with malice. For once, he just wanted to do something good.

Jagcar's cross examination, in the politeous way Nick could say, bombed. He tried to get the two witnesses confused and scrambled, but failed at each attempt. With Nick, he said, "When you started Wild Time, you wanted to be able to remove collars, which you did, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"But removing collars is an illegal act?"

"Not if you have a license, which I got one. As I said before, I wanted to do it by the book."

"The license is real?"

"Yes."

"You got granted a collar removal license, as a predator?"

"I told them what I intended to do, they approved, and I got my license. Nothing more, sir."

Jagcar darted his eyes. Nick imagined the head gears overloaded, turning too quick for a thought to come through. "Ah," Jagcar said, his eyes on the jury. "I see."

Mason sat at the defense desk, convulsing with held back laughter, some of that laughter broke out. It took everything in Nick not to join in. Jagcar looked defeated, lost. He went back to his desk and gazed at it, as though it would give him the answer.

Despite how much of a huge failure Jagcar had done for himself, Nick still worried. The jury showed more reaction towards Jagcar and his arguments, than Mason and his own. They still looked at him with contempt. Truth could smack them in the face, and Nick thought they'd still not see it. He did nothing, however, he couldn't do anything. All he could do was sit and wait.

"It might be days until they decide a verdict," Mason said, the trial over. All that was left over was the verdict, which laid in the hands of the jurors.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it could them five minutes," Nick replied.

"Neither would I."

Nick got sent back to the prison, back to the familiar routine set out for him. He followed the routine, something he knew like the back of his hand by now, and waited. Waited. He remembered what the mammals on t.v said about waiting, and agreed with it.

Waiting was always the worst part.

* * *

 **The length of this is as an apology towards the people who read and like this story. Sorry I left for so long. Life stuff. Anyways, enjoy it!**


	8. MIDNIGHT TRAIN

**CHAPTER 8: MIDNIGHT TRAIN**

Seemingly overnight, Nick's trial swept the city off its feet. Combine it with the outbreak of savage predators, and the city had itself an uproar.

The news switched between the new savage on the streets and the trial every night at eight. In almost every household, the t.v was on the news channel, eyes glued to the footage in front of them. On the vast ocean that was the Internet, mammals discussed and debate on Nick's innocence. Friends, family, and even coworkers, talked about the trial over and over, acting like armchair cops. Judy sat on her couch every night, even watched herself talk on the stand with bitter discontent.

At first, when the trial began, the public was quite against the red fox. They did not support him, they did not want him to win. A very small portion did cheer on Nick, hidden in the safety of their homes and minds. Mostly they were predators, or concerned prey that hated the direction the city was heading. Nico Jagcar spoke for the outspoken side that hated Nick's guts, Mason Garnuts spoke for the closeted supporting side. Garnuts's little opening speech persuaded some of the opposing side, but not much.

Not then.

The more the trial was aired, the more the balance shifted. Some mammals saw through Jagcar's airblown arguments, arguments that meant nothing and held no sense of logic or meaning. Some swayed to the other side during Garnuts's cross examination, poking holes in the statements and putting doubts in the witnesses' heads. Especially when he ran circles with Judy. Most fell on the supporting side after Jagcar tried to trip Nick up, instead falling on his face from his own words. The evidence Garnuts had also helped on that part. By the end of it, the public was on Nick's side, with individuals still opposing him, but with smaller voices. They demanded his freedom.

Inside the court, in a room tucked away, Nick's jury sat around a round table. Twelve of them sat there, a mammal's fate in their paws. Lionel Mothygoose thought that they were like the knights at King Arthur's Round Table, only instead of grand adventures or the holy grail, they were arguing over what he thought of a clean cut decision. Apparently not.

"Look, look," he said, hands up and elbows on the table. The other eleven stopped to listen. "We saw all the evidence. We heard how it played out. We _definitely_ heard Jagcar crash and burn. At any rate, this is pointless. Wilde is innocent of all the damn charges. Now, why are we still going at it?"

"Because he's a pred, Lionel. Simple as that." Morien Catis crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. He frowned the entire time they were there. "He could go crazy any minute. Better to keep him locked up than put him back in the public again."

"But he hasn't done anything wrong. Just because he's a fox, doesn't mean he's going to _attack_ someone any time soon."

"Lionel's got a point," Elaine Maus said. "Mr. Wilde did everything legally. He even had a license for collar removal. He never did anything wrong."

"He's a pred, though," Morien said, cocking his eyebrows up. "Isn't he still a danger to society regardless?"

Lionel shook his head. "Criminals are a danger to society. Someone born the way they are, they aren't a danger to anybody."

Morien paused, his eyebrows lowering back down. He sighed, thumped his knuckles on the table. "Right, fine. I guess you're right."

When they finally came to a verdict, five days after the trial, mammals crowded the courthouse, flooded the streets, and swarmed around Nick as he walked up the stairs towards his decided fate. He stood by the desk and chair he had sat in during his trial. Mason stood beside him, as in Mason stood on the table, but it was the thought that counted. The rows behind him were lined up with mammals, whispering underneath their breaths to each other. The jury sat in their box, looking at the crowd and him. Lionel glanced at his fellow jurors. He knew all of their names, spent enough time with them not to know. Morien, Tristan, Brian, Arthur, Elaine, Laudine, Ragnell, Tom, Hector, Daniel, Brutus. The Round Table. All part of the famous legends. He looked out into the courtroom, his face landing on Nick Wilde. Nick looked back.

Time to read out their decision, for everyone to hear.

He stood up, paper in his paw. Silence fell upon the courtroom, their breaths held and their eyes drawn to his face. Nick waited. Mason waited. The city waited.

Lionel cleared his throat. He held the paper out in front of him and read their verdict.

"Not guilty."

Nick paid no attention to the court's reaction. He was too busy crying.

Now, no one could account for what happened next. There were theories, there were thoughts. Nothing concrete, however. Whatever happened, happened. Not that anyone is complaining.

After Nick was released from prison, the savage cases suddenly stopped. Stopped dead. The antidote was developed, unrelated to both the trial and the sudden drop of savages, and given to the remaining mammals affected. They were released from whenever they were sent. The cause of the savagery was never found. That bothered the public, and Judy, ruffled their fur that no one knew why or how it all happened. Yet, no answers ever came into light. It remained a mystery.

Mayor Bellwether lost her support after Nick's trial. Her blatant bias against predators seemed to make mammals be on edge about her. The fact she was responsible for the arrest on Nick also put mammals off. She kept at it though, the whole anti-pred schtick. The collars became more hated by the public, prey and pred alike. Her popularity declined, fell, fallen, until it was gone. When the next election came and she lost to her opponent, she disappeared. Went off the grid and out of sight. No real lost in that, either.

Judy Hopps quit the police department. She remained in Zootopia, but lived a more quiet life. Judy didn't feel the joy she had felt in crime fighting anymore. It meant nothing. Her dream crumbled away. All because she couldn't see through her own bias and help someone. Isn't that a kick in the head?

Nick Wilde had enough of Zootopia. He told his friend Finnick he was leaving town, going out of dodge. Finnick said good luck.

The T.A.M.E collars, to no one's real surprise, were removed and thrown away, remembered only as a dark spot on Zootopia's fine history.

"Carrots."

"Slick Nick."

The wind blew around them. Chatter of the other mammals in the train station flew out one ear and out the other. The moon above shone through the midnight sky, stars twinkling with it. The train hadn't come yet. It would in about five minutes, if Nick's watch was telling the time right.

He looked down at Judy. She looked at the rail tracks, tapping one large paw over and over, in a rapid beat. Same old bunny. Even after all that had happened.

"Came to see an old con mammal out of town?" He said, flicking his tail to the side.

"Maybe," she replied.

He glanced up at the moon and stars. It looked almost like a poetic, and cheesy, painting. A pretty one. One more look at his watch said it was twelve thirty-three. Two more minutes.

"You wanna say something, Carrots, before I go? Give me a warm, happy speech about how I can achieve anything in life by trying?"

Judy huffed, her foot stopped tapping. A moment of pause. "I'm sorry."

Nick raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"I was wrong. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. And I never did figure out what was going on in the end. I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt, and was overly egotistical about it."

He snorted, grinned a little. "Wow, how long did it take for you to come up with that? An hour?"

She punched him in the side, but laughed a bit. "It took two hours, excuse you. Words are hard, you know."

"I do. That's why I got good at them."

The train was pulling up now. A puff of air fluttered about their paws, and the train screeched to a stop. Mammals clustered around the train, going in and going out. Here was Nick's ride. His ride out of Zootopia and to wherever he wants to go.

Nick stretched, then yawned. He bent down and grabbed his single suitcase. "Well, Carrots, guess this is goodbye." He turned, looking at her. She looked back. "See you, Hopps."

"See you, Wilde."

He stepped into the train, walking up to the top level. He set his suitcase on the seat next to him, gave one last peek out the window. Down below, Judy waved to him. Nick smirked and waved back. The train honked, jerking forward as it started its journey out of the city.

Nick kept his eyes on Judy while the train moved. He only stopped when he couldn't see her no longer. He sighed, crossed his arms, and relaxed. His eyes closed and he slept all the way until the next stop, which he got off at.

The moon followed with him.

* * *

 **That's the end, folks. Sorry if the ending is disappointing, it is to me. If I write another Zootopia story, I'm gonna not do it on a whim next time. Thanks to soulripper13 for the help! Anyways, thanks for reading. Hope ya'll have a good life.**


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